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MOUNT VERNON - Along with the ball,
Mount Vernon had the numbers on a second-quarter fast break following a
steal by Jordan Lessane. Pushing it ahead to teammate Sherrod Wright the
Knights had plenty of scoring options, but the junior didn't hesitate in
picking one.
Rising quickly, Wright fired a deep
3-pointer from the left wing.
"That was just a heat check," a
smiling Wright said afterward.
Like most of the swingman's shots
during yesterday's showdown with New Rochelle, the pull-up 3 found the
bottom of the net. Capping a stunning 13-0 run by the home team in just
over a minute, the Knights never looked back on their way to an
impressive 88-66 win in a Class AA boys basketball game.
"I thought it was really important,"
Wright said of the decisive final score. "We've got to make a statement
every game we play."
Wright certainly made a statement
himself. After a quiet two-point first quarter, he exploded for 13
points in the second on his way to a game-high 30.
Wright scored on dunks and reverse
layups. He knocked down three 3-pointers and converted on back-to-back
three-point plays during Mount Vernon's big spurt in the second quarter
after New Rochelle had tied the score at 27-27.
"That's his thing, he's a scorer,"
Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino said. "He's really worked on his shot, so
if you go out on him he'll go by you, and if you give him room he'll
make the shot."
Kevin Jones had 25 points, nine
rebounds and three steals as Mount Vernon (13-3) finished off a
successful three days to remain undefeated against Section 1 opponents.
The Knights on Tuesday knocked off White Plains and with yesterday's win
they clinched the League I-A regular-season title.
"It's great to beat your rivals, but
it's all about seeding right now," Cimmino said.
Markell Rice came off the bench to
lead New Rochelle (12-4) with 21 points, including converting on 8 of 9
from the free-throw line.
"We're always trying to tell him to go
to the basket more," New Rochelle coach Bill Murphy said. "He's a clutch
performer."
John Calarco added 15 points for the
Huguenots, who lost their earlier matchup with Mount Vernon 62-57 at
home.
"We stayed with them until their
runs," said Calarco, who also had six rebounds and three steals. "They
had three runs in the game and that killed us."
After trailing 49-38 at halftime, Rice
drained a long 3 from near the bleachers to start the third quarter. But
the Knights responded to score 15 of the next 21 points to reestablish a
double-digit lead they would never relinquish.
Once again, Wright was a major part in
his team's push, scoring seven points in that span and picking up two of
his five assists, including a lob to Jones off an out-of-bounds play.
Other than their big two, the Knights
got solid production down the line. Lessane (eight points, five
assists), Vaughn Allen (eight points, eight rebounds) and Ketema Brooks
(six points, five assists) all chipped in during the uptempo game that
Mount Vernon put away with a 22-12 fourth-quarter advantage.
"You can't really change your game
plan for a team," Cimmino said of the Huguenots continuing to push the
pace. "We have two similar styles. I just think we're a little deeper." |
